Mounting assembly for front panel of computer enclosure

ABSTRACT

A mounting assembly includes a chassis having a bottom wall and two opposite sidewalls, a front panel having two opposite sidewalls, and a pair of pushing members pivotally attached to the sidewalls of the chassis respectively. Each of the sidewalls of the front panel forms a sliding post for sliding in the through slot, thereby slidably mounting the front panel to the chassis. Each of the sidewalls of the chassis defines a through slot therein. Each of the pushing members forms a catch thereon. The pushing members are pivotable between a first position in which the sliding post engages with the catch and a second position in which the sliding post disengages from the catch.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mounting assembly for a front panel of a computer enclosure, and more particularly to a mounting assembly for a front panel of a computer enclosure that is convenient to attach and remove to/from a chassis.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Nowadays, with the trend being to produce ever smaller computers, users are faced with the inconvenience of trying to do maintenance and parts replacement or installation within the ever more confining spaces of computer enclosures. Therefore, it is desirable that a front panel should be conveniently removable from a chassis for access to the electronic components inside. A typical mounting assembly is that a front panel is directly riveted to a chassis, or a front panel is integratedly molded with a chassis, so the front panel cannot be detached from the chassis when necessary for installation or removal of other electronic components.

What is needed, therefore, is a mounting assembly for a computer enclosure allowing convenient attachment and removal of a front panel to/from a chassis.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A mounting assembly includes a chassis having a bottom wall and two opposite sidewalls, a front panel having two opposite sidewalls, and a pair of pushing members pivotally attached to the sidewalls of the chassis respectively. Each of the sidewalls of the front panel forms a sliding post for sliding in the through slot, thereby slidably mounting the front panel to the chassis. Each of the sidewalls of the chassis defines a through slot therein. Each of the pushing members forms a catch thereon. The pushing members are pivotable between a first position in which the sliding post engages with the catch and a second position in which the sliding post disengages from the catch.

Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with the attached drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a mounting assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting assembly including a chassis, a front panel, a pair of elastic components, a pair of pushing members, and a pair of locking members;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, isometric view of the front panel of FIG. 1, but viewed from another aspect;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, isometric view of the elastic component, the pushing member, and the locking member of FIG. 1, but viewed from another aspect;

FIG. 4 is a pre-assembled isometric view of FIG. 1, but without the front panel;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a circled portion □ of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an assembled, isometric view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6, but viewed from another aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a mounting assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a chassis 10, a front panel 20, a pair of elastic components 30, a pair of pushing members 40, and a pair of locking members 50. In the preferred embodiment, the elastic components 30 may be torsion springs, and the locking members 50 may be screws.

The chassis 10 includes a bottom wall 14, and two opposite sidewalls 11, 12 extending upwardly and perpendicularly from two opposite sides of the bottom wall 14. An elongated through slot 112 is defined in a front end of the sidewall 11. A top edge of the sidewall 11 of the chassis 10 is bent inward and horizontally to form a flange 114. The flange 114 defines a screw hole 116 for engaging with one of the locking members 50, and a through hole 118 for extension of an end of one of the elastic components 30 therethrough, thereby locating an end of the elastic component 30 therein. An elongated through slot 122 is defined in a front end of the sidewall 12, corresponding to the through slot 112. A top edge of the sidewall 12 of the chassis 10 is bent inward and horizontally to form a flange 124. The flange 124 defines a screw hole 126 for engaging with the other locking member 50, and a through hole 128 for extension of an end of the other elastic component 30 therethrough, thereby locating an end of the other elastic component 30 therein. A latching portion 141 is defined in a front end of the bottom wall 14 of the chassis 10.

The front panel 20 includes a body 21, a computer bezel 22 mounted to the body 21, a supporting bracket 23 securely mounted to the body 21, and a sliding plate 25 fixedly mounted to the body 21. A bottom end of the body 21 is formed to have an insert tab 212 for inserting into the latching portion 141 of the chassis 10, thereby locating the front panel 20 on the chassis 10. The supporting bracket 23 is used for accommodating a data storage device such as an optical disk drive or a hard disk drive therein, and includes a sidewall 231 and a bottom wall 237. The sidewall 231 of the supporting bracket 23 acts as one sidewall of the front panel 20. A pair of sliding posts 232 extends outwardly and horizontally from the sidewall 231. A top edge of the sidewall 231 is bent inward and horizontally to form a wide flange 233 parallel to the bottom wall 237. The flange 233 is stamped to form a stopping tab 234 thereon. The sliding plate 25 acts as another sidewall of the front panel 20. A pair of sliding posts 252 (shown in FIG. 6) extends outwardly and horizontally from the sliding plate 25. A rear top edge of the sliding plate 25 is bent inward and horizontally to form a flange 254. A portion of the flange 254 is bent vertically and upwardly to form a stopping tab 256 thereon.

A front end of each pushing member 40 is formed to have a pushing portion 42 thereon. A slanted guiding portion 422 is formed on each pushing portion 42. A catch 424 is formed at a bottom end of each pushing portion 42. A pair of opposite projections 43, 44 is formed on each pushing member 40. The two projections 43, 44 each have a wedge-shaped protrusion 432, 442 respectively. A circular post 46 is formed on each pushing member 40 at a rear end thereof, adjacent to the two projections 43, 44, and a through hole 461 is defined in each circular post 46, for extension of the locking members 50 therethrough. Resisting portions 47 adjacent to the circular posts 46 are formed on the pushing members 40, for resisting against the stopping tabs 254, 256. A projection 48 is formed on a distal end of each pushing member 40. The elastic components 30 are tightly disposed on the circular posts 46. One end of each elastic component 30 is respectively clipped between the two wedge-shaped protrusions 432, 442, and the other end of the elastic components 30 inserts through a corresponding one of the through holes 118, 128 of the sidewalls 11, 12, thereby locating the elastic components 30 on the pushing members 40.

Referring also to FIGS. 4 and 5, before the front panel 20 is mounted to the chassis 10, the two elastic components 30 are disposed around the circular posts 46 respectively according to the aforementioned description. Then the locking members 50 are inserted through the through holes 461 of the pushing members 40 respectively and engaged in the screw holes 116, 126 of the sidewalls 11, 12 of the chassis 10. Therefore, the pushing members 40 are pivotally attached to the sidewall 11, 12 of the chassis 10 respectively. Moreover, the pushing members 40 elastically abut against the sidewalls 11, 12 of the chassis 10 by reason of rebounding of the corresponding elastic components 30, respectively.

Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, in assembly of the front panel 20, the sliding posts 232 of the supporting bracket 23 and the sliding posts 252 of the sliding panel 25 are horizontally aligned with the through slots 112, 122 respectively. Then, the front panel 20 is moved inward and the sliding posts 232, 252 slide along the through slots 112, 122. Simultaneously, the insert tab 212 of the body 21 of the front panel 20 aligns with the latching portion 141 of the bottom wall 14 of the chassis 10. As the front panel 20 reaches the pushing members 40, a rear one of the sliding posts 232 and a rear one of the sliding posts 252 slide on the slanted guiding portions 422 of the pushing members 40 and thus push the pushing members 40 to rotate outwardly, respectively. After the rear sliding posts 252 have completely ridden over the guiding portions 422, the pushing members 40 are rotated inward to their original positions by restoring forces of the elastic components 30 and snappingly engage with the sliding posts 232, 252. As a result, the rear one of the sliding posts 232 and the rear one of the sliding posts 252 are stuck by the catches 424 respectively, thereby preventing the sliding posts 232, 252 from moving outwardly. Simultaneously, the insert tab 212 of the body 21 of the front panel 20 engages in the latching portion 141 of the bottom wall 14 of the chassis 10, thereby preventing the front panel 20 from moving further inwardly. Thus, the front panel 20 is easily secured to the chassis 10.

In disassembly of the front panel 20, the pushing portions 42 of the pushing members 40 are simultaneously pushed outward, thereby urging each of the pushing members 40 to pivot about the corresponding locking members 50 respectively. Thus, the catches 424 of the pushing members 40 disengage from the sliding posts 232, 252, and give way to the sliding posts 232, 252 respectively. Simultaneously, the resisting portions 47 of the pushing members 40 resist against the stopping tab 234 of the supporting bracket 23 and the stopping tab 256 of the sliding plate 25 respectively, thereby urging the sliding posts 232, 252 of the front panel 20 to move forwardly along the through slots 112, 122 respectively. Then, the pushing members 40 are released. The pushing members 40 return to their original positions due to rebounding of the elastic components 30 respectively. At the same time, the insert tab 212 of the body 21 disengages from the latching portion 141 of the chassis 10. Then, the front panel 20 is pulled forwardly until the rear one of the sliding posts 232 and the rear one of the sliding posts 252 of the front panel 20 leave the through slots 112, 122. In this manner, the front panel 20 is easily drawn out from the chassis 10.

In a modified embodiment of the present invention, only one sidewall of the chassis 10, for example, the sidewall 11, is equipped with the pushing members and other components of the mounting arrangement of the front panel 20. In this case, the sidewall 12 of the chassis 10 and the front panel 20 may be modified accordingly.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of preferred embodiments thereof, and while the preferred embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Additional advantages and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. 

1. A mounting assembly comprising: a chassis having a bottom wall and two opposite sidewalls extending from opposite sides of the bottom wall, each of the sidewalls defining a through slot therein; a front panel having two opposite sidewalls, each of the sidewalls forming a sliding post for sliding in the through slot, thereby slidably mounting the front panel to the chassis; and a pair of pushing members pivotally attached to the sidewalls of the chassis respectively, each of the pushing members forming a catch thereon, the pushing members being pivotable between a first position in which the sliding post engages with the catch and a second position in which the sliding post disengages from the catch.
 2. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein a pair of elastic components is respectively attached to the pushing members for resiliently loading the pushing member toward the first position.
 3. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein a pair of locking members respectively attaches the pushing members to the chassis.
 4. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the pushing members forms a circular post for each elastic component being disposed thereon, and the circular post defines a through hole therein for extension of the corresponding locking member therethrough.
 5. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein each of the pushing members is formed to have two opposite projections for clipping the other end of the corresponding elastic component therebetween.
 6. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the sidewalls of the front panel has a stopping tab thereon, and each of the pushing members is formed to have a resisting portion for resisting against the stopping tab.
 7. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the pushing members has a slanted guiding portion for guiding the sliding posts of the front panel to slide to the first position.
 8. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the chassis defines a latching portion therein, and the front panel forms an insert tab for inserting in the latching portion, thereby locating the front panel.
 9. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the elastic component is a torsion spring.
 10. A mounting assembly comprising: a chassis having a sidewall; a front panel slidably mounted to the chassis, the front panel comprising a sidewall slidably attached to the sidewall of the chassis, the sidewall of the front panel forming a stopping member thereon; and a pushing member pivotally attached to the chassis, the pushing member comprising a catch for latching the sidewall of the front panel in locked position, the pushing member comprising a resisting portion for resisting against the stopping member to thereby unlock the sidewall of the front panel from the locked position.
 11. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 10, further comprising an elastic component attached to the pushing member for urging the pushing member toward the locked position where the sliding post engages with the catch.
 12. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein the elastic component is a torsion spring, and one end of the torsion spring is securely attached to the chassis and the other end of the torsion spring is attached to the pushing member.
 13. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the pushing member has a slanted guiding portion for guiding the sliding post of the front panel thereon.
 14. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 10, further comprising a locating structure formed on the chassis and the front panel.
 15. The mounting assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the locating structure is a latching portion defined in the chassis and an insert tab formed on the front panel for inserting in the latching portion.
 16. A mounting assembly comprising: a chassis comprising a sidewall; a panel comprising a body and a supporting bracket attached to the body, the supporting bracket detachably attached to the sidewall; and a pushing member attached to the sidewall and engaging with the supporting bracket to lock the supporting bracket in a locked position, wherein the pushing member is operable to release the supporting bracket from the locked position.
 17. The mounting assembly of claim 16, wherein the supporting bracket defines a space therein configured for accommodating a data storage device.
 18. The mounting assembly of claim 16, wherein the chassis comprises a bottom wall, the sidewall is located at one side of the bottom wall, another sidewall is located at an opposite side of the bottom wall, another pushing member is attached to the another sidewall, the panel is a front panel, the supporting bracket is attached to one side of the front panel, and a slide member is attached to an opposite side of the front panel and detachably attached to the another sidewall.
 19. The mounting assembly of claim 18, wherein the supporting bracket and the slide member are slidably attached to the sidewall and the another sidewall.
 20. The mounting assembly of claim 19, wherein a pair of elastic components is respectively attached to the pushing member and the another pushing member to resiliently load the pushing member toward the locked position, and the pushing members snappingly engage with the supporting bracket and the slide member respectively in the locked positions. 